Today's Rant
So, there I was, being all sentimental and stuff, and now for something completely different.
I don't do much political writing anymore, or social commentary. I wouldn't mind, since people pay me for it, but my brain is numb for the most part. Used to be, I sort of enjoyed trying to persuade readers to see something a little differently, or at least think about it, but I don't find much hope in that anymore. Some bad things are happening in my country, and mostly in the way we view opinions different than our own, and I don't know, man. I don't know. Maybe it'll get better. Maybe.
But I'm stunned by something, and since I wrote a column on the same subject last year I don't really feel comfortable doing it again, since I would be making the same points. So here I am.
This has to do, by the way, with Plan B. I will explain, in case you're not following the issue.
Plan B is an emergency contraceptive, a concentrated collection of hormones, taken in sequence, to prevent pregnancy after the horse has gotten out of the barn, so to speak. While those little swimmers make their way up the fallopian tubes, Plan B convinces the ovum that it does not want to be impregnated today, thank you very much.
Who's it for? Rape victims. Teenagers who got a little carried away. Married people who had a condom break or a diaphragm twist or a pill get missed. All of us, in other words. Mistakes happen, even to careful people.
Let me reiterate here, because this is where I start having problems with people. Plan B has no effect on a pregnancy. None. It does not induce an abortion. It simply cuts off the spermies at the pass, ambushes them, sends them the wrong way to Dodge City. They may be potent but they're not exactly Olympic swimmers. It takes time to get upstream, and Plan B wants to be waiting for them.
Now, if you oppose any sort of contraception, for whatever reason, church teachings, whatever, then you wouldn't be in favor of Plan B. Got it. Or if you believe, again for whatever reason, that men and women should only have sexual intercourse to create a baby, then, again, I got it. Not for you.
For the rest of you, though, here's where I need your help. If you're like me, and you're appalled at the idea of abortion (even if you might support a woman's right to make that decision; that's not the issue right now), if you believe all babies should be wanted and parents should be prepared, do you see something other than a good thing here?
One more thing you should know, in case you don't. For obvious biological reasons, these pills need to be taken as soon as possible. If they are, then there's almost a 90% success rate in preventing an unwanted pregnancy without resorting to a curet and suction.
And as you probably know, "soon" and "doctor's appointment" are not usually synonyms. And then there are weekends, holidays, etc. So after extensive study, the FDA approved Plan B for over-the-counter sale. Which was promptly over-ruled by the acting chairman, an action stunning in its relative rarity. He stated some concerns about the medication's effect on very young women, but conventional wisdom was that it was a political move.
See, the people who are opposed to the idea of Plan B are what we've lately taken to calling "social conservatives." That is, people who, usually on the basis of their religious faith, frown on certain behaviors and do not want any sort of government endorsement of said behaviors. Like homosexual behavior. Like premarital sexual behavior. Like abortion. Especially abortion.
So Gov. Romney of Massachussets vetoed a bill allowing OTC sale of Plan B, as did Gov. Pataki of New York. Both of them considered potential Presidential contenders in 2008. And then there's Dobson and the rest, all of them lining up to prevent easy availability of an FDA-approved medication that potentially would prevent tens of thousands of abortions every year.
The 15-year-old girl abused by the drunken boyfriend of her mother. The 42-year-old woman whose diaphragm slipped on her 15th wedding anniversary.
And why?
Let's define some terms first. "Pregnancy" is a medical term. It refers to the development of an embryo or fetus in the body. This development cannot occur without implantation of the fertilized egg, whether it's in the uterus, where it belongs, or in a tube or other place (an ectopic pregnancy; not going nowhere), and thus a pregnancy does not begin at conception, but at implantation, technically (doesn't mean that life, by some definition, doesn't begin at conception; some people hold that view, and I understand completely, but just in medical terms pregnancy is a bit more involved. And I only bring that up because some people have suspected that Plan B can, in certain situations, prevent implantation of an already fertilized egg, although more recent studies cast a whole lot of doubt on that. Not to mention that fertilized eggs pass through the body without sticking all the time, and no one grieves, or even notices, in most cases).
An "abortion" is the termination of a "pregnancy," whether by a surgeon or God. A miscarriage is a spontaneous abortion. Doctors use the term all the time, and have for a long time. Not that it matters, but just FYI. Pregnancies happen and end for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with Roe v. Wade.
So what's the rationale for opposing Plan B, or at least its over-the-counter availability?
It will lead to promiscuity.
Just like any sex education other than strict abstinence teaching, Plan B will encourage teenagers to have sex.
So, maybe I'm old, but I seem to remember that teenagers don't need a lot of encouragement.
Sigh. Sorry I went on. I'm just tearing my hair out here.
Can someone help me? Explain to me the other side in a way that gets me nodding my head, maybe disagreeing but understanding?
Because I don't get it.
I want all babies to be wanted. I think sex is a gift from God, and thus good. I think people should be prepared to be parents. And I think people are people, sinful, prone to error and too many glasses of wine, imperfect, and desperately in need of a second chance.
We have lots of second chances. We have insulin injections. We have coronary artery bypass. We have artificial hips. We have Alcoholics Anonymous. We have forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, the community of saints. We have lots of Plan Bs.
What's wrong with this one? I'm asking here.
1:00:53 PM 
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